Oklahoma and LSU Go 198+ in Weekend Dominated by Scoring Debates
There was a prevailing sense of uncertainty going into the weekend with snow set to affect much of the midwestern and southern portions of the nation, changing meet times and, unfortunately, canceling other contests. The gymnastics that did occur was exciting and at times controversial, with the first 198+ scores of the weekend coming from Oklahoma and LSU, and scores at that meet and others generating plenty of discussion about the state of scoring.
Meet of the Week
Maryland at Penn State
It was a day of historic performances in State College, with Penn State earning its third-best team score in program history, including a 9.950 on bars from Dani Latronica (which led to the team’s third-highest bars score in program history, as well) and a 9.975 on floor from Alyssa Kramer. Visiting Maryland set a program floor record propelled by Madeline Komoroski’s and Aine Reade’s own 9.975 routines; two other routines in the rotation went 9.900.
Other contenders: UCLA at Michigan State, which took place at the Breslin Center in front of a program record crowd; Nebraska’s upset of Minnesota
Gymnast of the Week
Jordan Chiles (UCLA)
Chiles claims this title for the second week in a row after putting on a show for the program attendance record crowd at Michigan State’s Breslin Center, matching her second-best all-around score of 39.875, which is good for the 19th-best all-around score in NCAA history. That included a 10.000 on floor, a stuck Yurchenko double full, and sticks on her bars and beam dismounts.
Other contenders: Mackenzie Estep (Oklahoma), who scored 9.975 on her stuck Yurchenko one and a half and 9.925 on bars and floor, her other two events; Sophia Diaz (Michigan), who scored 9.900 on all three of her events, including a stick on her Yurchenko one and a half
Performance of the Week
Kailin Chio, Balance Beam (10.000)
Since being limited to bars at Open Mike Night, Chio has been back and better than ever all January, with this beam routine serving as the cherry on top. It was the second of Chio’s career, and her first on beam. She’s left no doubt as to her status as the heir apparent to Haleigh Bryant, now her assistant coach who was the first to congratulate her after finishing the routine.
Other contenders: Delaynee Rodriguez’s (Kentucky) 9.925 anchor beam routine in the loud PMAC, after two falls in the rotation; Chloe LaCoursiere’s second 9.975 on bars in as many weeks
Outrageous Moment of the Week
Oklahoma’s home opener against Georgia had the gymternet’s undivided attention due to its snow-affected start time of 3:00 PM on Friday. As such, the uproar over scoring at the meet felt especially loud this week. In particular, fans weren’t thrilled that sophomore Lily Pederson appeared to hit her feet on the mat during her routine, a 0.3 deduction, and still earned a 9.825; freshman Ella Murphy had to recast on the low bar and went 9.800. There was also very little separation between routines for the Sooners, with just six out of 24 routines for the Sooners going under 9.900.
Other contenders: Snow throwing meet dates and times into disarray
Hidden Gem of the Week
UC Davis senior Amelia Moneymaker logged the Aggies’ first 9.9+ score of the season with a 9.900 on beam in the team’s victory at Friday’s Sacramento State squad meet. Moneymaker’s performance came en route to a continuance of her now 13-meet streak of 39+ all-around scores.
Other contenders: Gabrielle Dildy earning her third all-around title in the season’s four meets so far; Penny Jernigan becoming the winningest head coach in Western Michigan program history
Viral Moment of the Week
The weekend was won by delightful and cheeky meet promotions. Nebraska offered fans the cutest, Jelly Cat-esque “Cornsker” stuffed corn cobs. Oklahoma served breadsticks to the first thousand fans in attendance, with a very clever moniker: “Come for the bread, stay for the sticks.” An honorable mention in this category goes to teams having fun with the snow theme of the weekend, like Arkansas in its win celebration post.
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Article by Katherine Weaver
The Oklahoma scoring is ruining the credibility of this sport. Seriously gross.
I applaud u guys for being brave enough to speak about the scoring debacle that ended up helping OU claim the #1 spot this wk. it’s not right wearing an OU uniform gains one an automatic tenth! That team is so incredibly coached they don’t need favors from judges they have the talent to win without that nonsense. It’s been a long standing problem in the sport and yes- OU has benefited for yrs. For many what happened on bars last wk was the final straw!
It was a huge miss by the judges. But even if they deducted that score correctly, it would have been dropped and the overall score would only be .0025 less. So they still would be way over 198.00. Please don’t act like that one mistake by the judges did not mean OU did not deserve their high score. I see no one wants to talk about LSU’s home gift they get every time they are at home. LSU eked over 198 with much help from the judges.